Sanna Ahvenharju profile picture
Sanna
Ahvenharju
Senior Research Fellow, Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC)
PhD, M. Soc.Sc., Deputy Director
BIODIFUL

Contact

+358 29 450 4094
+358 50 320 1149
Rehtorinpellonkatu 3
20500
Turku

Areas of expertise

Futures consciousness
Futures research & Futures research methods
Environmental & Natural resource policy
Sustainable consumption policy
Sustainable development
Innovation policy
Ecoinnovations
Municipal environmental management
Sustainable transport and mobility
Policy and strategy development
Project management
Facilitation methods
Public participation & Communications;

Biography

Sanna works at the FFRC as a Senior Research Fellow on projects related to futures consciousness and future thinking, as well as biodiversity protection, overconsumption and environmental policies. She has developed the five-dimensional concept of Futures Consciousness and the Futures Consciousness Scale together with her colleagues.

From the time before joining the FFRC 2014, Sanna has over 20 years of experience in sustainable development policy and governance. As a consultant she has been responsible for leading complex projects related to sustainable development and innovation policy and assessment processes that were commissioned by the government, ministries or state agencies. She has also worked in NGOs with municipal level sustainability policies in Finland, Germany and Lithuania.

Teaching

Current responsibilities:

Master's degree courses in Futures Studies on Wicked problems and Hybrid futures research methods.
Lectures on futures learning with the help of futures consciousness and using futures consciousness scale.  Supervising master's students.


Research

Sanna's research interests cover futures consciousness and future thinking and their development through education and other interventions. She works also with many wicked problems, such as overconsumption, and biodiversity loss, especially from the point of view of governance: potential changes in policies, new policy instruments and their acceptability.

Publications

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Vuosina 2007–2013 toteutettavien EAKR-toimenpideohjelmien ja kansallisen rakennerahastostrategian arviointiraportit vuonna 2011 (2012)

Jari Karjalainen, Pertti Kiuru, Mikko Valtakari, Katri Haila, Petri Uusikylä, Liisa Kytölä, Sanna Ahvenharju, Mikko Halonen, Mari Hjelt, Alina Pathan, Tiina Pursula, Anu Vaahtera, Nuutti Nikula, Markku Kotilainen, Hannu Kaseva, Eeva Terävä, Maarit Vuorela, Kaisa Lähteenmäki-Smith, Seppo Laakso, Päivi Kilpeläinen, Petri Kahila
(Julkaistu kehittämis- tai tutkimusraportti taikka -selvitys (D4))